Indonesia was a bit of a different month for me as I was training all month as a squad leader since the alumni squad leaders who spent the first six months on the field with us went home at the end of June. The first week, we spent a lot of time in hotel rooms doing different training sessions. The next week, we all went to different teams for some hands-on training. And the last week, the squad leader team went to Bira (a beach town) for some final training. When we went to teams, I had the opportunity to go near the village of Makale up in the mountains to spend some time with Team Cookie and Creams.
The team was staying with a Workaway host. If you don’t know what Workaway is, it’s a program where members can contact one another to organize homestays and cultural exchange. Volunteers or “Workawayers”, are expected to contribute a pre-agreed amount of time per day in exchange for lodging and food, which is provided by their host. Since Indonesia was an ATL month, the team looked for their own host and was able to spend the whole month with Natsir, an Indonesian Muslim man with a HUGE heart for the community and the environment. I LOVED my time there. The area was beautiful, and I’m just so glad I got to experience that part of Indonesia. I got to eat rice straight from the paddies, fruits and vegetables straight from the garden, freshly-made chocolate and drink coffee straight from the farm. I crushed coffee bean pods, helped teach English in Natsir’s local school, and enjoyed sitting in the hammock while taking in the beautiful mountain views.
Oh how I wish I loved to make videos, but I don’t. Thankfully other people like making videos! So please enjoy some videos made by my squadmates about our time spent on Natsir’s farm!
Welcome to Indonesia // World Race Indonesia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tZpJKzI5DM
Video made by Kaydan Field
The Power of Education – An Indonesian Rural Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WRLzVZqH7E
Video made by Matthew Ledford
Team Cookie and Creams: Kalyn & Matthew (married), MeMe, Michaela, Alyssa (was on my team for the first 5 months), Morgan
